I'm new here, come in and say hi! :)

This is a discussion on I'm new here, come in and say hi! :) within the Introduce Yourself forums, part of the Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping category; -->
Hey guys! My name's Elise and I've just gotten my first Betta. I've had goldfish and helped my mom care for her bettas... but ...

Hey guys! My name's Elise and I've just gotten my first Betta. I've had goldfish and helped my mom care for her bettas... but this little guy's ALL MINE!

I've named him Kichirou, japanese for luck... Fitting, since he survived a kitty attack. My mom got him for me for Xmas and her cat tipped over the vase he was in... My dad found him on the floor and took him for dead. When he went to pick him up, Kichirou scared the crap out of him by flopping around! He was thrown back into the water and he's been doing great, since!

Since the tiny vase that brought him to my house, he's been upgraded to a 10gal tank with beautiful rocks that bring our his colors! He's got his own car (rusty as it is) and airplane (lucky little guy) and today, I bought him his heater, thermometer and a few plants. He's been a hint patchy, so I also got some aquarium salt and ich meds (half the amount recommended), just in case. I'm pretty excited! It's a long way from his tiny bitty bowl he had, and I'm loving watching explore his new pad! <3

I also got him some buddies, today... Two Chinese algae eaters. So far, they're getting along famously!

Awesome!!! Nice to meet you and Kichirou! What a great tank! Wow... got his own car and plane too!! lol. Welcome to the forum!!

Keep an eye on those Algae eaters... they get "ugly" meaning "mean" as they get bigger. Fortunately that takes awhile, they are slow growers. Just be aware and don't hesitate to take them back if you need to. Do you have algae yet or disks to feed them?

Keep an eye on those Algae eaters... they get "ugly" meaning "mean" as they get bigger. Fortunately that takes awhile, they are slow growers. Just be aware and don't hesitate to take them back if you need to. Do you have algae yet or disks to feed them?

Good to know! I'd gone in to get a few tetra (my mom used to keep them with her betta) as company... but the employee told me they may nip at his yummy-looking fins/tail and to avoid that. He said bottom feeders usually do ok with them, since you can "layer" you tank, which I'd heard before, so it made sense.

He initially suggested a plaeco, but in a 10gal tank? I don't think so... I'd just be killing it slowly, and that's not ok. So he suggested these little guys. I noticed Kichirou following them around, but it was slow it didn't seem too aggressive. If I notice it getting worse, I'll see to bringing them back. :)

I don't have algae yet so I got some Nutrafin basix Staple Food Tablets for bottom feeders. I read that they feed on algae when they're little, but it's not really a huge part of their diets, later on. I also notice them on my plants. :)